2016 Conferences on Special Needs

You can NEVER have too much information, tips, and resources while on your journey with special needs. Our 2015 list of conferences was so popular with you, our readers, that we felt it would be good to do it for 2016!

Without further ado...the best conferences around the country for the first half of 2016!

The purpose of this annual statewide conference is to provide information on state-of-the-art practices in areas that promote best practices in education, early intervention and quality community-based lifestyles for individuals with autism, deaf-blindness, and related disabilities.

This conference brings together experts for two days of training that focus on ways to improve the quality of life for those with autism and special needs, their families, caregivers and professionals working with them. The presentations will cover areas of behavioral and developmental therapies/strategies and family issues. It is presented for Educators, Therapists, Health Care Professionals, Caretakers, Parents and anyone who wants to learn more about services and treatment for individuals living with Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADD, ADHD and other learning disabilities. Over the course of time, FEAT-NT's educational opportunities and conferences have educated more than 15,000 parents and professionals in the autism community.

Inclusion Works! is an opportunity for educators, administrators and parents to improve their skills in educating and supporting students in Special Education. The Arc of Texas is committed to the goal of promoting, protecting and advocating for students' right to be included in regular education settings with the appropriate aids and services. Conference participants will be offered information and education about research-based practices, aligned with the purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), so that their students can meet their educational, employment and independent living goals!

LDA's mission is to create opportunities for success for all individuals affected by learning disabilities and to reduce the incidence of learning disabilities in future generations. LDA believes everyone can succeed at school, at work, in relationships, and in the community given the right opportunities and supports as needed. Please bring your family, friends and co-we can advocate and work together to create new opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities.

Bringing together more than 4,500 speech-language pathologists, audiologists, consumers, and speakers from Texas and the surrounding states, the TSHA Annual Convention serves as an exchange of ideas, information, and technology related to speech-language pathology, audiology, special education, and related discipline

Our goal is simple – to provide useful information to professionals and parents in order to help all young children learn, grow and reach their full potential. We aim to bring everyone who works with young children together to learn and grow: teachers, psychologists, special education teachers, social workers, physical, occupational and speech therapists, pediatricians, nurses, educators, academics and students.

The Pacific Rim International Conference, considered one of the most 'diverse gatherings' in the world, encourages and respects voices from "diverse" perspective across numerous areas, including: voices from persons representing all disability areas; experiences of family members and supporters across all disability and diversity areas; responsiveness to diverse cultural and language differences; evidence of researchers and academics studying diversity and disability; stories of persons providing powerful lessons; examples of program providers, and; action plans to meet human and social needs in a globalized world.

On June 14-15, the DARS Texas Autism Research and Resource Center (TARRC) will host the 2016 Texas Autism Research Conference attended by researchers, academics, university students, state agency staff, ASD service providers, persons with ASD, and their parents.

This conference educates Texas parents about how to deal with the unique issues and challenges they face on a daily basis in caring for their children. The two-day conference offers tracks with multiple sessions, each covering a different topic. This year's themed tracks include the following: advocacy (general and legislative), autism, parenting and sibling issues including a one-day SibShop, special education law (basic to advanced), medical issues (including Medical Home and Medicaid Waiver Programs), behavior, mental health, parent leadership, resources and services, self-advocacy, self-determination, transition issues for youth and young adults with disabilities, and creating a good life for people with disabilities.